Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte meets admirers in spite of his widely condemned human rights record at the Langham hotel in Auckland. Image: Greg Bowker/New Zealand Herald
The controversial president of the Philippines, known as “The Punisher” says he wished he could have settled in New Zealand, following his brief stopover in Auckland.
In an extraordinary interview with the Herald – his first and only in New Zealand – Rodrigo Duterte twice accidentally referred to the country as Australia, countered the long-held view former president Ferdinand Marcos was a dictator and asked a reporter if she was married.
While leaving the Langham Hotel in the central city on his way to the airport for a flight home later in the evening, he stopped to take selfies with fans who had gathered and spoke to the Herald.
“I’d like to urge the Filipinos to be just like New Zealanders, well-behaved and following the law,” he said.
“How I wish I could have settled here.”
Duterte, who was in Auckland on his way home from Peru where he’d been attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, also expressed a desire to work more closely with New Zealand.
“I’d like to extend my warm wishes to all Filipinos and of course to all the Australians who are hosting us here.
‘Thank you Australia’ “Firstly I’d like to thank the Australian government…sorry the New Zealand government and the people and the citizens for hosting us in manner that befits brother Asian.
“We have excellent relations between NZ, and of course Australia, and so we would like to maintain that bond in the coming years,” he said.
“We have a great friendship and we should nurture it.”
When asked by a reporter if he’d return to New Zealand, Duterte quipped; “pag niyaya mo ako [if you invite me] … are you married?”
In the short interview, he went on to counter the long-held view former president Ferdinand Marcos was a dictator and appeared to justify violence against the people.
“There was no deliberate really to kill, except for those who took arms to the Government and that would be the rebels within the military and of course the Communist party of the Philippines.”
Duterte this month has copped criticism for allowing the former dictator to be buried in the Heroes’ Cemetery – a place normally reserved for military personnel, former presidents and national heroes.
Marcos ‘hero’ burial ‘just’ The current president said it wasn’t for him to decide whether Marcos was a hero or a dictator – but said his burial was just.
“You know it’s the law, the law says you are entitled to be buried in the Cemetery of Heroes, if you are a soldier and more than that if you are a former president.”
Marcos was president from 1965 to 1986, and ruled as a dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981.
In 1986, Marcos was eventually overthrown by the people’s revolution, that saw millions take to the streets, and oust him in favour of Corazon Aquino.
He was criticised and accused by many Filipinos and members of the international community for a number of human rights abuses, including torturing, abducting and killing thousands of his opponents.
However, the Marcos family has in the years since been a part of the Filipino political scene and supported Duterte’s bid for the presidency.
Duterte, who took office on June 30, promised to wage his own war – this one against drugs in his country.
‘The Punisher’ His promise to kill more than 100,000 drug users and fill Manila Bay with their bodies, and his urging citizens and police to conduct extrajudicial killings, has earned him the nickname of “The Punisher”.
The bodies of dealers and addicts have since been turning up in cities across the Philippines.
Police statistics show a surge in the number of drug suspects shot dead by security forces, but vigilantes appear to have killed significantly more.
Nevertheless, when questioned by the Herald, Duterte remained staunch in the face of international criticism and reiterated his commitment to “neutralise” all drug-lords in his country.
“It will not stop until the last drug pusher is out of the streets and the last drug lord neutralised … it will remain to be a war and I am committed to it.”
New Zealand Herald reporter Corazon Miller is a journalist graduate of Auckland University of Technology and a fluent speaker of Tagalog. This article was originally published by The New Zealand Herald and is republished on Asia Pacific Report with permission.
President Rodrigo Duterte … “engaging character” but extrajudicial killings off the agenda. Image: ANU/AsiaPacifiic
The chairman of the Human Rights Foundation says New Zealand has standards for granting visas, and he does not think the president of the Philippines would meet them, reports Newztalk ZB.
President Rodrigo Duterte was in Auckland this week to refuel his plane on his way back from the APEC meeting in Peru. He met with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully last night for an hour.
Foundation spokesman Peter Hosking told Newstalk ZB’s Larry Williams he was not sure if McCully would have tackled President Duterte on his human rights record, or on APEC, the foundation’s website reports.
“It certainly wasn’t on any agenda that I know of. Perhaps there were some leaders who had a private word with him, but I’m not particularly confident about that either.”
‘Quiet charming’ After last night’s meeting, Murray McCully described President Duterte as “a tough guy but he was warm, courteous and actually quite charming”, the foundation website says.
“He’s a very engaging character and it’s not difficult to discuss sensitive issues with him. He is very happy to engage on those issues.”
McCully would not confirm whether they talked about the extrajudicial killings Duterte has encouraged although he said it was wide-ranging discussion and included the South China Seas, the foundation website says.
“We talked about everything,” McCully said. “I don’t want to talk publicly about what was a private discussion but we discussed the full range of issues.
“He doesn’t beat around the bush. He has got quite firm views and he expresses them, and very colourfully.”
McCully said his meeting was a courtesy call because president was in the country on his return from APEC and it was “the appropriate thing to do to have someone from the government call on him and welcome him and make sure that he is being looked after here.”
IN A world torn apart by conflicts old and new, the issue of the media’s role seems to have growing importance.
Media coverage of atrocities committed during wars is opening up debate on the power images have to influence public opinion and political decisions.
INFOCORE is an international research study funded by the 7th European Framework Programme of the European Commission. It brings together experts from the Social Sciences to investigate the media’s role in violent conflicts in three regions: the Middle East, the Balkans and Central Africa.
Romy Frohlich from Ludwig Maaximilians University in Munich explains that journalism is under a state of tremendous transformation as a result of the ever-changing, global media landscape.
“What we see so far”, she says, “is that this change in journalism does affect or had an effect on the power balance within the shaping of public discourse, for example the relation between journalism and political actors or journalism and propaganda and public relations.” Reporting in the Middle East In Israel, the press enjoy very good standards of freedom, which is unique in the Middle East.
However, Palestinian and foreign journalists face military censorship and frequent abuses by both the Israeli army and Hamas in Gaza.
Since 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has had a grip over the communications portfolio. This gives him control over the entire media sector. He blocked a bill aimed at reforming a new broadcasting authority, fearing the new body would be critical of the government.
INFOCORE kits at the media conference at the Brussels Press Club. Image: David Robie
Digital media can guarantee more government transparency and even help change the military’s attitude towards journalists. But Professor Gadi Wolfsfed of theInterdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, says it can also undermine certain sensitive types of negotiations like peace deals.
“The positive of the fact that every citizen’s walking around with a camera”, he explains, “means that, for example, if police or soldiers are beating someone or killing them it could very well be caught on tape and uploaded onto YouTube.
“This changes the whole dynamic of the ability of the authorities to abuse people on the other side.
“However, we must be aware that there are some secrets that governments need to keep. And of course the negotiations in Oslo, that’s why it is called the Oslo peace process, were kept secret. Today it is not sure that it would be possible.
“In other words there wouldn’t have been secret negotiations because eventually something would have leaked out.”
According to the INFOCORE study, as one would expect, the Israeli and Palestinian press are extremely polarised. Hebrew language media tell their audiences one version of the facts, while the Arab media support the opposite narrative.
Meanwhile, the situation in Syria is more complex. Each side in the multifaceted civil war has set up their own media outlet.
It is almost impossible for Syrian citizens to access reliable, independent information and journalists can barely get into the country let alone report effectively on the conflict.
In this context social media have become essential for monitoring what is happening on the ground and sharing information, as Annabelle Van Den Berghe outlined: “The first sign of something going on is often on social media, is often on twitter, is often on Facebook, and it is also often on WhatsApp – she points out – I am on WhatsApp with several people inside Syria: reporters but also just civilians who are living there and updating me on the situation.
“Because WhatsApp is a bit safer than Facebook to communicate they often use that to let me know what’s happening, what is going on”.
Journalism in the Balkans In the Balkans, foreign media played a key role in supporting the NATO interventions in Kosovo in 1999 and in Macedonia (FYROM) in 2001.
Their role was a controversial one. As with the case of the 11-week-campaign of NATO airstrikes in Kosovo in 1999, which claimed to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Albanian population from the Serbian government, and the intervention in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in 2001, when Alliance troops entered the country with a mandate to disarm the Albanian rebels.
Today, the press in Kosovo face considerable financial challenges and structural problems. According to the INFOCORE study, one of the consequences of this is that journalists are not receiving appropriate training.
Abit Hoxcha, researcher at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich told Euronews: “Journalists don’t really have proper training to report and sensitive reporting.
“Also we are dealing with a generation that has experienced war, so there is a lot of baggage attached to reporting and one of the problems we see on a daily basis in our research is that journalists carry a dose of patriotism and identity and a sense of belonging into their daily reporting.”
Kosovo is a potential candidate for EU membership. However, the European Commission report in 2016 expressed worries about the increase in attacks on journalists and the lack of transparency regarding media ownership.
In Macedonia (FYROM) press freedom is severely threatened. The INFOCORE study found that politically-controlled media are fomenting tensions between Macedonians and the Albanian minority.
Dr Snezana Trpevska, from the Institute of Communication Studies in Skopje illustrated the results of the study:
“The inter-ethnic tension in the country does not emerge only as a result of the friction between the communities themselves but also they are created from the politically manipulated media,” she says.
“So they are created from above. The discourses of conflict, of violence, of hate speech are coming from the politicians themselves who control and misuse the media to provoke tensions in order to divert the public attention from the other controversial and important issues in the society.”
People then stop relying on traditional media and go in search of alternative sources of information.
Freedom of the press in the African Great Lakes region Ethnic conflicts, political instability and starvation typify the realities of the Great Lakes region in Africa.
In Burundi a crisis erupted in May 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term. More than 400 protesters were killed and 6 independent media outlets were shut down.
Currently about 80 journalists are in exile, mostly in Rwanda, and local press is controlled by the government.
Marie Soleil Frere, vice-rector at Université Libre de Bruxelles, says the situation used to be very different.
“The situation in Burundi used to be different because most of these independent registrations that were closed in May 2015 were radios that were established with the support of the international community and they were established with the aim of contributing to peace building, reconciliation, so there was a real pluralism inside of those media they would employ Hutu and Tutsi journalists and they would devote a lot of broadcasting time to programs about peace building and reconciliation.”
In the Democratic Republic of Congo independent media struggle with journalists often being threatened, attacked or arrested.
Recently, international media have also been targeted. In November 2016 Radio France International’s frequencies were suspended.
A new law making foreign media enter into partnerships with local firms was enforced.
Ernest Sagaga, from the International Federation of Journalists, believes the law aims to bring money and false credibility to the government: “They are now targeting international media broadcasters because of course they come with great credibility,” Sagaga said.
“These countries whatever they do – both Burundi and DRC- they need money to run the economies and they want to come back to their funders including the EU for the kind of assistance they get. So, there is a dichotomy if you like: on one hand they don’t want people to know what is going on in the country and on the other hand they want help or support allegedly for running the affairs of their countries.”
Neutrality, trustworthiness and independence are cornerstones to delivering reliable news reports. But according to INFOCORE’s findings, journalism could go beyond the simple reporting of facts in conflict zones.
“We can find three main kinds of journalist”, says Rosa Berganza from University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. “The responsible one who promotes peace and who is looking for solutions, the peacemaker journalist who specifically proposes solutions, and the watchdog role that is played by several journalists in order to account for all the violations of human rights that can be committed in different countries.”
Former Bougainville Revolutionary Army commander Sam Kauona … reconciliation praised and condemned. Image: PNG Mine Watch
The combined New Ireland chiefs in Papua New Guinea led by chief Demas Kavavu and political leaders including former National Alliance strongman, Pedi Anis, have welcomed the invitation for reconciliation from the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) commander, Sam Kauona, and his people of the Central Bougainville region with the former Prime Minister and now Governor of New Ireland, Sir Julius Chan.
But the move has been strongly criticised by the Bougainville Freedom Movement.
The chiefs rallied behind the Governor, Sir Julius, to support what they term as a courageous step for peace from the BRA Commander with the authority and authenticity being the first to meet with Sir Julius within three days of him assuming the Prime Ministership of Papua New Guinea in 1994 in Honiara during the height of the Bougainville conflict.
The late Bishop Gregory Singkai was with Sir Julius that made possible the face to face human dialogue between Sir Julius and Kauona, whom Sir Julius described as courteous and very respectful in the face of great adversity.
Kauona in a news release in The National newspaper last Thursday broke his long silence as a prominent figure in the 16 year-long Bougainville conflict and declared his political allegiance to the People’s Progress Party and its founder Sir Julius.
He cited his involvement in brokering peace talks that culminated in the moving reconciliation ceremony in Kavieng between the late President Joseph Kabui on behalf of the people of Bougainville and Sir Julius on behalf of New Ireland.
Kauona said Sir Julius showed the way to address issues and although he participated in reconciliations in Buka and Kavieng he and the PPP should reconcile with the people of Central Bougainville because it was the nerve center of the conflict.
New Ireland held Peace and Reconciliation consultation with President Joseph Kabui and was the only Province that sent an official government delegation to attend Kabui’s funeral and later reciprocated with the second Peace and Reconciliation with the Acting President, James Tanis, in Buka.
Responding to Kauona’s press release, Governor Sir Julius said from his home in Huris that he had kept close and friendly ties with the people of Bougainville through their President John Momis.
He was very encouraged by Kauona’s comments and awaited the opportunity to strengthen friendship with him and people of Central Bougainville.
“I have no qualms, no grudges, no ill-will against anyone in Bougainville as we are partly one heritage, one genesis and I thank Kauona for his straight talk and welcome him to visit and strengthen ties with New Ireland,” said Sir Julius.
“We need to eradicate all misunderstanding to hand a peaceful solid baton to the young generation for our two Provinces,” he said.
The Bougainville Freedom Movement said in a statement:
“Considering that Sir Julius Chan says he has no regrets over his handling of the Sandline mercenary affair, to kill, maim and murder the people of Bougainville, it is very difficult to understand why the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) Commander, Sam Kauona has declared his political allegiance to the People’s Progress Party and its founder Sir Julius Chan.
“The power of the people in Papua New Guinea (PNG), prompted Jerry Singirok, the General of the PNG Defence Forces to stop the hired killers of Sandline mercenaries by taking them hostage in 1997. This is what stopped the war on Bougainville and allowed peace to prevail.
“It also led to the downfall of Sir Julius Chan and his government.
“This year in March 2016, Sir Julius Chan released his autobiography and still says that if he had been allowed to continue with the Sandline mercenary operation to put down the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) and the people of Bougainville in 1997, he would have been able to bring the island of Bougainville under control.
“So now in November 2016, it seems Sir Julius Chan has the General Commander of the BRA under control, like a wish come true.”
Media monitors say Myanmar’s restrictive media laws raise concerns about press freedom under the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who is well-known for advocating for democracy and human rights in the region. Video: Radio Free Asia
The chief-executive and the chief-editor of Myanmar’s largest daily newspaper have been detained after a politician accused them of defamation in an article which, was then posted on social media.
Reuters reported, Than Htut Aung, chief-executive of Eleven Media Group, and the newspaper’s chief-editor, Wai Phyo, were arrested on Friday last week.
The article in question made reference to allegations of government corruption.
The two journalists are expected to be in jail for two-weeks while police investigate.
Media have reported the pair have been charged under Myanmar’s controversial telecommunication law.
Amnesty International released a statement which called for the immediate release of the two editors.
‘Serious concerns’
“Arresting and detaining these two men raises serious concerns about the National League for Democracy-led government’s commitment to freedom of expression,” said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“While the new government has made some attempts to amend long-standing repressive laws that target activists and media workers, this case shows that those attempts do not go far enough.”
Djamin said journalists play an important role of holding governments to account and repressive laws could led to the self-censorship of journalists.
Increased concerns have been raised over media freedom in Myanmar after Fiona MacGregor, an investigative editor was fired last month at the Myanmar Times. She was accused of being biased against the government after she reported on allegations that claimed security forces raped around 30 ethnic women.
Panelists: ASB Economist Nick Tuffley (far left), Alfred Ngaro (National MP), Jenny Salesa (Labour MP) and Su’a William Sio (Labour MP). Image: TJ Aumua/ PMC
By TJ Aumua in Auckland
Pacific members of Parliament were brought together this month to address the way forward for Pacific communities living amongst Auckland’s current housing crisis.
Jenny Salesa and Su’a William Sio both advocated for Labour’s housing policy to build 100,000 houses over the next ten-years to address the under supply of housing.
National MP, Alfred Ngaro, also supported the idea of defining Pacific prosperity, to support more home ownership by Pacific living in Auckland.
‘The continuous call for relief aid for the people of Nissan has fallen on deaf ears’…Conrad Willy, Nehan community government member. Image: UNDP
At least two children in the Nissan islands have been injured, falling off trees in desperate search for food, as climate change takes its toll on low-lying islands in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
Despite repeated requests in the past 10-months, relief supplies have still not reached the Nissan district which, comprises of mostly atolls, said Nehan community government member Conrad Willy.
In June, a grade-six student at Pinepal fell from a mangrove tree as she was picking the mangrove beans to eat. She was rushed by dinghy to Buka General Hospital where she was treated and discharged.
Last Friday, four-and-a-half-year-old Raphael Alben fell from a coconut tree and broke both arms while searching for young coconuts.
Willy warned that more children would be hurt as their parents send them out to look for food.
Food shortages
He said the people started facing food shortages towards the end of last year.
Willy said that numerous reports had been presented to the disaster relief office in Bougainville, the community government office and members of parliament regarding the situation at the atolls, but they had not been addressed.
Willy approached the Post-Courier and raised this issue again. He said the newspaper had been running reports on the food shortage faced by the district.
‘Relying on sago’
‘People had been relying on sago because the staple cassava had been destroyed,’ he said.
“We tried planting sweet potato at this time but with the south westerly winds, the salt spray from the sea is destroying sweet potato and banana gardens. Now we are only relying on sago.”
A meeting between the families, the Nissan district executive manager and the Bougainville member for Nissan is planned for Monday to address the food situation.
US ELECTIONS FALLOUT – Across the Ditch: Australian radio FiveAA.com.au’s Peter Godfrey and EveningReport.nz’s Selwyn Manning discuss the reaction to new Donald Trump has won the US Presidency.
Will the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement be canned now Trump is destined to enter the White House?
SPORT:
Also, in sport the New Zealand All Blacks were beaten by Ireland last weekend, ending their world record run of 18 international test wins. This weekend the AllBlacks play Italy, then Ireland the following week and France the week after that.]]>
Opinion by University of Auckland law Professor Jane Kelsey Professor Jane Kelsey
[caption id="attachment_6181" align="alignleft" width="150"] Professor Jane Kelsey.[/caption]
While opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will welcome its likely demise, we would prefer our governments had rejected the deal as bad for their peoples. Instead, it is likely to be sunk by a new US president whose racism, sexism, tax avoidance and defence of fossil fuels are anathema and will be a barrier to achieving progressive alternatives.
Behind that vote is a backlash against these kinds of deals from ordinary people who feel alienated and disempowered, just as we saw with Brexit. That aspect of the Trump victory needs to be listened to by our government and others who have pushed the TPPA and similar deals, including the ongoing negotiations for the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).
Clearly the Prime Minister has been talking to people in Washington and has written off the prospects of the TPPA happening “in the short term”.
This was not how it was meant to play out. The Obama administration had everything ready to roll to put the implementing legislation for the TPPA to a vote in the next few weeks during the lame duck period of Congress, and seemed unconcerned that passing such a momentous law by one or two votes in the current climate would further undermine the legitimacy of such deals.
It is still possible they would try. But to do so in the face of the landslide vote for Trump, and for enough Republicans to endorse the legislation, would be hugely provocative when the talk is of healing and unity.
Even if Congress did pass the legislation there are further steps in the ratification process before the TPPA could come into force and those would require Trump’s willingness to proceed.
All the other participating countries, except New Zealand and Japan, have waited to see what happened in the US before adopting their own implementing legislation. The lower house of the Japanese Diet is about to vote, but the bill still has to go through the upper house.
Here, the National government cast prudence aside and pushed through the implementing legislation, which may have its final reading in Parliament today.
I presume it has also been making invisible changes to policies, practices and administration, for example for Pharmac, that don’t require legislation. We know that US officials have been telling our government what they consider we need to do.
For our government pass the legislation and make other changes, when no other TPPA country has done so, makes New Zealand look out of touch and desperate. Given the Prime Minister’s concession, the government should withdraw the legislation and reverse all the other changes it has been making to implement a deal that is unlikely come into force. It is time we took on board the message from the US and UK, and had a real debate about the kinds of international agreements that are genuinely good for our future.
AL Jazeera’s report on the crisis in Myanmar: The video includes exclusive interviews with villagers who reveal accounts of military officers killing a 13-year-old boy and women in a village being held down and raped. Video: Al Jazeera English
Media organisations which, are attempting to report on soldiers committing human rights abuses against villagers in Myanmar are being obstructed and harassed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The restriction comes after allegations of abuse including sexual violence by the Myanmar military, amid the conflict in the country’s northern Rakhine state.
The Irrawaddy, reported border guards and military officers in mid-October blocked journalists and photographers from several news organisations, including: The Irrawaddy, Myanmar Times, Democratic Voice of Burma, and 7 Day Daily. Media were blocked from traveling north of the state’s Kyikanpyin police station to areas in the Maungdaw Township, where joint military-police security operations are underway.
‘Unsafe’
The same report stated, security officials told reporters they could not travel to the area because it was unsafe for journalists.
Military officials also ordered journalists to delete photographs they had taken of the aftermath of an October 9, 2016, attack on a border guard post that killed several police officers. The reporters refused and also declined to tell officers their names or the media outlets they worked for.
‘Nothing to hide’
CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative, Shawn Crispin, said that if the government truly has nothing to hide, media should be allowed to report freely in the state.
“The best way to prove or disprove allegations of rights abuses is to allow independent media to probe the accusations,” Crispin said in the CPJ report.
Reuters have also reported of dozens of women being raped or sexually assaulted by Myanmar soldiers.
Zaw Htay, the spokesman for President Htin Kyaw, has denied the reports.
‘No logical way’
According to a Reuters news article, Htay said: “There’s no logical way of committing rape in the middle of a big village of 800 homes, where insurgents are hiding.”
Htay accused, Fiona MacGregor, an investigative editor at the independent Myanmar Times, for being biased against the government after she reported on allegations that claimed security forces raped around 30 ethnic women.
Acccoring to CPJ, MacGregor said she believed Htay aimed to stifle reporting on the allegations.
Myanmar Times managers soon fired MacGregor for breaching company policy against damaging national reconciliation and damaging the paper’s reputation by publishing the article.
Chief operations assistant commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu, says that even those in government will need to require a permit and all circumstances are thoroughly considered before the granting of a permit. Image: FijiTV
Police in Fiji have advised political parties that they would need a permit if they are wanting to hold public gatherings in the country.
The Fiji Times reported chief operations assistant commissioner of Police, Rusiate Tudravu, who said, any meeting in a public place that discussed issues of national interest would need a permit.
“Permits must be applied seven days prior to the proposed event,” he said.
According to the report, the permit is required if a gathering would involve more than three people in a public space. Processions on the road with five or more vehicles would also need a permit.
The reminder comes as political parties begin preparing for the 2018 general elections in Fiji.
FAO’s Policy Officer in Fiji, Dr Tim Martyn, pictured above. SIDS representatives will gather at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva this week November 1 – 3 to discuss the Action Plan. Image: UN FAO
The death rates associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), was referred to as a “man-made crisis” by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) office in Fiji.
According to a PACNEWS report, a three-day meeting hosted by FAO is expected to take place in Suva this week to contribute a resolution to the crisis.
‘Health and wealth’
The report quoted FAO’s Policy Officer in Fiji, Dr Tim Martyn, who said NCDs threatened the health and wealth of the 34 Small Island Developing States.
“In the Pacific alone, on average, NCDs account for 70 percent of all deaths, in Fiji that number is 80 percent. A third of the regional population suffers from anaemia, and a quarter from vitamin A deficiency.”
He said most of the deaths are preventable, but access to nutritious food would need to be made available and affordable for many.
Dr Martyn said almost a quarter of Fiji’s population suffers from diabetes.
“One outcome is an amputation conducted in one of Fiji’s hospitals every 12 hours. A third of Fiji’s population is now considered obese, which puts many at a health risk.
‘Just as startling’
“In the Pacific Islands the statistics are just as startling. Fifty percent of the male population of Tonga is estimated to be obese, the highest prevalence out of 188 countries worldwide; and over 45 percent of American Samoa’s population have diabetes. Indeed, the Pacific has the highest rate of diabetes in the world.”
The FAO are expected to host up to 40 representatives from the three geographic SIDS regions: Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS), the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The meeting is expected to review and update the draft Action Plan which responds to the food and nutrition challenges faced by SIDS.
“They must know that the door to Australia is closed to those who seek to come here by boat with a people smuggler,” Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announced this week. Image: ABC News
The Australian government’s recent announcement to ban Manus Island and Nauru refugees arriving to the country by boat goes against international law, says Amnesty International New Zealand.
The new law would apply to those who tried to reach Australia by boat from July 19, 2013, and will inhibit them from obtaining any visa, including tourist and business visas.
The executive director of Amnesty International New Zealand, Grant Bayldon, said in a statement that the move by the Australian government is in breach of Article 31 of the 1951 Refugee Convention which, declares countries are prohibited from imposing penalties based on people’s mode of arrival.
‘Unlikely deal’
Bayldon also responded to the comments made by New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, about the unlikely deal with Australia to resettle 150 refugees detained in the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres.
He said recent research showed 79 percent of New Zealanders want the Government to take a stronger stance in speaking out against the evidence of abuse in the offshore detention centres.
“What’s more, a full 86 percent said the Prime Minister and Government have a responsibility to speak out on evidence of human rights violations being committed by other countries,” Bayldon said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Francois Crepeau, arrives in Australia today.
During his 18-day trip Crepeau will examine the detention center’s in question.
According to ABC News, Crepeau would also meet with border protection officials and migrants.
“This is an opportunity for me to understand how Australia manages its overall migration policies, and their impact on the human rights of migrants,” he said.
Forum ’65 members during a dialogue with the Ministry of Social Affairs. Image CNN Indonesia
Victims of human rights violence from Indonesia’s New Order era, visited the Social Affairs Ministry (Kemensos) to hand over petitions which, opposed the nomination of former Indonesian President Suharto being bestowed a ‘national hero’.
CNN Indonesia reported that around 27 victims, from the group Forum ’65, waited from 9.30 in the morning in the ministry lobby to meet with Kemensos officials.
In an interview with CNN Indonesia, Forum ’65 member Bedjo Untung said, recent information suggested that a document designating Suharto as a hero has already been signed.
Untung told CNN Indonesia that the survival of many victims would be in vain if Suharto became a national hero.
According to the report, at 10.35am Kemensos officials received the members for a dialogue which, revealed a decision on Suharto’s status has still not been made.
The group have made an online petition against the proposal.
Many activists and victims who suffered human rights abuse under Suharto’s rule (1967-1988) have rallied together since the late president’s ‘hero’ status was proposed.
The Jakarta Post, reported of another group called Gema Demokrasi (Democratic Resonance) which, rallied against the proposal in early October to highlight the controversies surrounding Suharto’s rule.
‘Not worthy’
Gems Demokrasi’s spokesperson, Asep Komarudin, told The Jakarta Post that Suharto was not worthy of receiving the award because he abused human rights and stole state money during his term in office.
“He committed a lot of violations back then, such as the massacre of Indonesian Communist Party [PKI] members and other crimes during the New Order era,” Komarudin said.
The signing of the agreement this week between the Pacific Community and representatives from EU Pacific and German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation. The signing took place in Suva during Pacific Resilience Week (October 19-27)
Five early warning sirens to protect Fijians in the case of a natural disaster are set to be established in Suva by 2018.
The newly proposed sites for the warning sirens are: Police Mobile Unit at 8 miles to cover low lying areas of Laqere, Nepani and Nadawa; Vatuwaqa FINTEL area to cover Vatuwaqa to Laucala Beach; Ganilau House or Civic Towers to cover the middle of Suva city; Pacific Theological College to cover the Nasese area; and the Walu Bay area to Ports Authority.
These additional sirens will complete the systems already installed at the University of the South Pacific which covers Suva Point to My Suva Picnic Park and the other in Lami town.
SPC Deputy Director-General, Dr Audrey Aumua, said other employers around the proposed areas that have sirens will be connected so they can be activated in coordination.
‘Technical support’
She said it is critical that scientific and technical support is offered to the people of the Pacific who are vulnerable to climate change hazards and disasters.
“These sirens will help increase Fiji’s capacity to address all hazards and provide increased protection for the people of Fiji,” she told Asia Pacific Report.
Dr Aumua said other warning systems in the Pacific region have not been proposed but could be developed if countries require support for it in the future.
From 1986 until the beginning of 2016, Statistics New Zealand, through the Household Labour Force Survey, collected data on people “not in the labour force, by main activity”.
These data considerably understate these “main activities”, because many people whose main activity is neither employment nor unemployment are nevertheless counted as being in the labour force; employment or job-seeking are secondary activities for them.
This month’s chart shows persons aged over 15 classed as having zero attachment to the labour force, and whose main activity is neither education, caring for children, nor retirement. It shows, at least since the mid-1980s, that between six and seven percent of the working-age population are unaccounted for. In 2016, that’s 235,000 people; considerably more than those officially counted as unemployed.
A few of these invisibles will be people caring for other adults. A new dataset for those “not in the labour force, by main activity”, with data only for early 2016, shows 24,000 such people caring for adults, leaving 211,000 unaccounted for.
The new dataset removes the category of ‘retirement’, so most of the 470,000 people classed in the new data as in “free‑time activities” or in “own care due to sickness/injury/disability” are people who would probably be over-65 and in retirement. The new dataset renders completely invisible those aged 25 to 64 without attributable main activities.
There is little interest in collecting statistics about people who do not fit convenient statistical categories. Policymakers generally do not see the invisibles as a problem; they do not see them at all. Except, that is, they have started taking an interest in NEETs, defined as people aged 15-24 who are not in employment, education or training. It’s a pity that these NEET statistics are restricted – for no obvious reason – to persons under 25. These are the ‘naughty’ young people, who supposedly reflect failures of the education system. Thus, there may be a political agenda to generate awareness only of the young invisibles.
There’s no obvious trend in the three decades of data shown here. The main point is that there are so many people whose lives do not fit the roles we expect them to fit. There has been too little interest in those who are defined only by what they do not do.
Cake cutting ceremony at the 2016 USP Journalism Programme awards which, also celebrated Wansolwara’s 20-year anniversary. USP journalism teaching assistant Eliki Drugunalevu (far left), Wansolwara student editor Chrisnrita Aumanu, head of USP journalism Dr Shailendra Singh, USP journalism tutor Dr Olivier Jutel with founding Wansolwara editor Professor Philip Cass, Wansolwara supervising editor-in-chief Irene Manueli and award recipient Sonal Singh. Image: USP
The University of the South Pacific hosted its annual journalism awards this month, honouring some of the top students who report for the journalism programmes multi-award winning student newspaper.
Eleven students of USP’s Journalism Programme were presented with media awards.The ceremony was held in the AusAid theatre in Laucala Bay, Suva. Image: Fiji Times
Wansolwara, USP’s training newspaper, was also commemorated for its 20th year of publishing.
Journalism student Chrisnrita Aumanu received the award of Best Wansolwara Editor, sponsored by Fiji publication Business Melanesia.
She told Asia Pacific Report that she enjoyed her role as student editor this year and was humbled to receive the award.
‘Challenging times’
“There would be challenging times, for example, running out of stories to put on the pages and looming deadlines. But at the end of the day when the challenges are dealt with, and with the great help from our tutors, it’s a great feeling.”
She said one of the successes for 2016 was this years first edition of the newspaper, when student journalists dedicated two-pages of the publication to TC Winston, the biggest cyclone ever to hit the Fiji islands.
Aumanu said being an editor has pushed her out of her comfort zone. Originally from the Solomon Islands, she hopes to bring her experience home to give back to her country.
She also acknowledged the team of student reporters and photographers who worked tirelessly on the newspaper this year.
‘Wansolwara’
“Wansolwara is a great news outlet, as it is a great platform for student journalists to put on paper what they have been taught in classrooms. Moreover, Wansolwara moulds budding journalists like us to write better stories each and every time with a sense of pride when we see our bylines.”
Another big winner of the night was former Wansolwara student editor, Sonal Singh, who won the Fiji Sun Tanoa Bowl Best Graduating Student Award.
‘Biggest success’
He told Asia Pacific Report, the award is his biggest success this year.
“Since 2014, when I first came to know about the awards, it became one of my goals to win the best graduating student award. I could say that my consistency brought me closer to this.”
“This awards means that I am on the right track.”
Singh said the biggest challenges for the year have been managing his role as the president of the USP Journalism Students Association (JSA), as well as a six-week attachment, and his commitment to Wansolwara.
“However through the understanding and help from family, friends and my lecturers, I was able to overcome my obstacles.”
‘Revived’
Singh, together with fellow journalism students have also successfully “revived” USP’s JSA by raising enough funds to improve the facilities in their newsroom.
Asia Pacific Report asked Singh what advice he would give to other aspiring Pacific journalists: “My advice would be that if you have the will and courage to stand and speak for what is right to improve our society, then become a journalist. It’s more exciting and satisfying than you think.”
Chief guest
The chief guest at the awards night was former USP lecturer Dr Philip Cass who founded Wansolwara in 1996 and now teaches at UNITEC in Auckland.
Founding Wansolwara editor, Professor Philip Cass, also presented at the 2016 World Journalism Education Congress in Auckland. Image: PMC
“Wansolwara has gotten more ambitious, covering issues from across the Pacific region,” Cass said in a statement featured in the Fiji Times.
“I think over the years, Wansolwara has become a lot better and has certainly won a lot of awards. This certainly has reflected the hard work done by my successors and all the staff who have worked on it over the years.
“This is a very special moment for me to think that it has survived this long and has prospered this much. I was very touched and I am very grateful for this invitation.”
Wansolwara is now the longest surviving student publication in the Pacific region and continues to cover serious news on a quarterly basis.
USP journalism coordinator Dr Shailendra Singh said the awards have been an important event in university’s journalism calendar, since it was introduced by the Pacific Media Centre’s Professor David Robie.
‘Well supported’
“The awards are well supported by the news media industry in Fiji who sponsor the prizes,” Dr Singh said.
“News media industry representatives attend the function and present the prizes in person, which is a boost for the future journalists of the region.”
Dr Singh said the need for well-trained journalists had increased with the onset of social media and citizen journalism, especially in the face of the ongoing development problems faced by the region.
‘Young journalists’
“It is very important to encourage potential young journalists by recognising, incentivising and rewarding good examples of journalism,” said Dr Singh.
“The awards have become an important occasion in the USP journalism calendar over the years, given USP’s critical role in nurturing the future journalists to meet the needs of the region.”
The USP Journalism Programme has produced more than 200 graduates. Many are now working in various media roles throughout the Pacific and beyond.
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation’s news bulletin featuring interviews with the awardees at USP’s Journalism Awards 2016. Video: FBC
The University of the South Pacific hosted its annual journalism awards this month, honouring some of the top students who report for the journalism programmes multi-award winning student newspaper.
Eleven students of USP’s Journalism Programme were presented with media awards.The ceremony was held in the AusAid theatre in Laucala Bay, Suva. Image: Fiji Times
Wansolwara, USP’s training newspaper, was also commemorated for its 20th year of publishing.
Journalism student Chrisnrita Aumanu received the award of Best Wansolwara Editor, sponsored by Fiji publication Business Melanesia.
She told Asia Pacific Report that she enjoyed her role as student editor this year and was humbled to receive the award.
‘Challenging times’
“There would be challenging times, for example, running out of stories to put on the pages and looming deadlines. But at the end of the day when the challenges are dealt with, and with the great help from our tutors, it’s a great feeling.”
She said one of the successes for 2016 was this years first edition of the newspaper, when student journalists dedicated two-pages of the publication to TC Winston, the biggest cyclone ever to hit the Fiji islands.
Aumanu said being an editor has pushed her out of her comfort zone. Originally from the Solomon Islands, she hopes to bring her experience home to give back to her country.
She also acknowledged the team of student reporters and photographers who worked tirelessly on the newspaper this year.
‘Wansolwara’
“Wansolwara is a great news outlet, as it is a great platform for student journalists to put on paper what they have been taught in classrooms. Moreover, Wansolwara moulds budding journalists like us to write better stories each and every time with a sense of pride when we see our bylines.”
Another big winner of the night was former Wansolwara student editor, Sonal Singh, who won the Fiji Sun Tanoa Bowl Best Graduating Student Award.
‘Biggest success’
He told Asia Pacific Report, the award is his biggest success this year.
“Since 2014, when I first came to know about the awards, it became one of my goals to win the best graduating student award. I could say that my consistency brought me closer to this.”
“This awards means that I am on the right track.”
Singh said the biggest challenges for the year have been managing his role as the president of the USP Journalism Students Association (JSA), as well as a six-week attachment, and his commitment to Wansolwara.
“However through the understanding and help from family, friends and my lecturers, I was able to overcome my obstacles.”
‘Revived’
Singh, together with fellow journalism students have also successfully “revived” USP’s JSA by raising enough funds to improve the facilities in their newsroom.
Asia Pacific Report asked Singh what advice he would give to other aspiring Pacific journalists: “My advice would be that if you have the will and courage to stand and speak for what is right to improve our society, then become a journalist. It’s more exciting and satisfying than you think.”
Chief guest
The chief guest at the awards night was former USP lecturer Dr Philip Cass who founded Wansolwara in 1996 and now teaches at UNITEC in Auckland.
Founding Wansolwara editor, Professor Philip Cass, also presented at the 2016 World Journalism Education Congress in Auckland. Image: PMC
“Wansolwara has gotten more ambitious, covering issues from across the Pacific region,” Cass said in a statement featured in the Fiji Times.
“I think over the years, Wansolwara has become a lot better and has certainly won a lot of awards. This certainly has reflected the hard work done by my successors and all the staff who have worked on it over the years.
“This is a very special moment for me to think that it has survived this long and has prospered this much. I was very touched and I am very grateful for this invitation.”
Wansolwara is now the longest surviving student publication in the Pacific region and continues to cover serious news on a quarterly basis.
USP journalism coordinator Dr Shailendra Singh said the awards have been an important event in university’s journalism calendar, since it was introduced by the Pacific Media Centre’s Professor David Robie.
‘Well supported’
“The awards are well supported by the news media industry in Fiji who sponsor the prizes,” Dr Singh said.
USP Journalism staff: Dr Olivier Jutel (from left), head of USP journalism Dr Shailendra Singh, journalism teaching assistant Eliki Drugunalevu and Wansolwara supervising editor-in-chief, Irene Manueli with a former USP journalism student Emmanuel Mar. Image: USP
“News media industry representatives attend the function and present the prizes in person, which is a boost for the future journalists of the region.”
Dr Singh said the need for well-trained journalists had increased with the onset of social media and citizen journalism, especially in the face of the ongoing development problems faced by the region.
‘Young journalists’
“It is very important to encourage potential young journalists by recognising, incentivising and rewarding good examples of journalism,” said Dr Singh.
“Towards this end, the awards have become an important occasion in the USP journalism calendar over the years, given USP’s critical role in nurturing the future journalists to meet the needs of the region.”
The USP Journalism Programme has produced more than 200 graduates. Many are now working in various media roles throughout the Pacific and beyond.
It has been a traumatising year for UPNG students. An escalated series of events occurred after students boycotted classes in May. They were petitioning for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to step down while police investigated corruption charges against him. Image: EMTV News
Students from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) claim they are unable to concentrate and have withdrawn from their studies.
Loop PNG reported around 100 first-year students have withdrawn following the string of distressing events for UPNG students this year, including the shooting of students by police in June.
In an interview with Loop PNG, UPNG’s acting vice-chancellor, Dr Nicholas Mann, said he could not confirm the figures.
‘Life is like that’
“Life is like that. People go through certain traumas and difficulties and when they cannot concentrate, they take time off to recuperate.”
“Students were given the opportunity to resume learning. Those who are strong and can muster the challenge have come in and continued.”
It has been a traumatising year for UPNG students after an escalated series of events occurred after students boycotted classes in May. They were petitioning for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to step down while police investigated corruption charges against him. Image: EMTV News
Students from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) claim they are unable to concentrate and have withdrawn from their studies.
Loop PNG reported around 100 first-year students have withdrawn following the string of distressing events for UPNG students this year, including the shooting of students by police in June.
In an interview with Loop PNG, UPNG’s acting vice-chancellor, Dr Nicholas Mann, said he could not confirm the figures.
‘Life is like that’
“Life is like that. People go through certain traumas and difficulties and when they cannot concentrate, they take time off to recuperate.”
“Students were given the opportunity to resume learning. Those who are strong and can muster the challenge have come in and continued.”
Grandmothers Against Removals: the winners of the 2016 Aboriginal Justice Award at Parliament House in Sydney. The group were against eight other finalists. Image: Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales
By Dr Camille Nakhid and TJ Aumua
A group of indigenous mothers and grandmothers who actively campaign to stop the forced removal of aboriginal children from their families have been recognised with a justice award.
Laura Lyons, a member of GMAR Sydney, told Asia Pacific Report earlier this year of the forced and unjustified removal of her children and the abuse they faced in a residential care facility.
‘Proud moment’
She said the award was a “proud moment” for the group and believed their ancestors were present to witness it.
‘On our way to the awards we saw a rainbow,’ Lyons explained.
“It was actually Bianca (Lyons daughter) who looked up in the sky and said, ‘mum there’s the rainbow’. I said to her, ‘that’s our ancestors with us’ and i knew we were going to win the award.”
‘Ongoing’
Lyons said her case with the Department of Children Services (DoCS) is ongoing and GMAR continue to be busy travelling to other communities to assist and support families.
GMAR have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for transport costs to visit other families who need their help.
A new online research platform will allow Pacific research to be more accessible around the country and the world.
At the launch of Tuwhera: Director of learning and research services (AUT) Shari Hearne (left) with Pacific Media Watch contributing editor TJ Aumua and the Pacific Media Centre’s Advisory Board chair Camille Nakhid (far right). Image: PMC
Tuwhera was launched this week at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The platform allows journal editors to have their work freely published online and available to the public.
The Pacific Journalism Review was launched on the research site, making information about the Pacific more accessible to international staff and students.
The Pacific Journalism Review is published by the Pacific Media Centre. Globally, it is the only journal that publishes expert media research about the Pacific region.
New Zealand journalist Barbara Dreaver was given special permission earlier this year to land in Fiji for just one hour to change planes for a reporting trip to Kiribati. Image: TVNZ
By TJ Aumua in Auckland
TVNZ’s Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver says she is ‘thrilled’ to be able to report in Fiji again, after being blacklisted from the country for eight-years.
She told Asia Pacific Report that it is a “promising move” by the Fiji government and said an open and free media is a corner stone of democracy.
This comes after the announcement made by the Fiji government this week, that it had lifted the ban on foreign journalists reporting in the country as long as they have been accredited in the usual manner by the Department of Information.
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is currently in New Zealand on his first state visit to the country.
Across the Ditch: Australian radio FiveAA.com.au’s Peter Godfrey and EveningReport.nz’s Selwyn Manning deliver their weekly bulletin Across the Ditch.
This week: Weather + Headlines
IN-DEPTH: Peter and Selwyn take an in-depth look at how over 40% of homes tested for meth contamination tested positive.
SPORT: Also, the All Blacks take on Australia’s Wallabies rugby team at Eden Park in Auckland. The Wallabies haven’t beaten the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1986, but this weekend Australia will be wanting to break that curse and also shatter the All Blacks’ hopes of extending their world record winning streak of 17 international tests.
Across the Ditch broadcasts live weekly on Australia’s FiveAA.com.au and webcasts on EveningReport.nzLiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz.]]>
An unprecedented legal case has been filed this week against the Norwegian government for allowing oil companies including state-owned Statoil to drill for new oil in the Arctic.
The legal case was filed by Nature and Youth, the largest environmentalist youth organisation in Norway and Greenpeace Nordic. Both agencies argue that Norway is violating the Paris Agreement and the people’s constitutional right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations.
The case comes only days after Statoil pulled the plug on its New Zealand operations in Northland, and just before a visit by Norway’s indigenous Sámi parliment, who are meeting with iwi around the country to discuss Statoil’s presence here.
‘Stiff resistance’
The Sámi visit follows a Māori delegation to Norway last year, who met with Sámi people and attended the annual Statoil shareholders meeting to put the owners on notice that their investment in Aotearoa would be met by stiff resistance.
Greenpeace New Zealand climate campaigner and lawyer, Kate Simcock, said the case could have implications around the world.
“With the success of the Urgenda climate case against the Dutch Government, and now this, we’re seeing that it’s possible for ordinary people and smart legal tactics to hold governments to account on their plans to tackle climate change.”
Opposition MP Mikaele Leawere is calling on an immediate inquiry into USP’s decision. Image: FijiOne
Fiji’s opposition is calling on the University of the South Pacific’s vice-chancellor to step down, after USP’s decision to de-register students who have outstanding fees.
Opposition MP Mika Leawere expressed his concern with the decision which comes just before students sit their final exams.
“Taxpayers of Fiji contribute towards Fiji being the biggest financial member state contributor of the University and this draconian policy lacks any humanity or wisdom given that Fiji and many students are still recovering from the devastation of TC Winston.
“While we accept that the University is an institution of higher education and is not a charitable organisation, surely an institution of academics can empathise with their students who are already stressed with exam preparations and now are further burdened with an inhumane policy that dashes all their hard work for the semester at the 11th hour.”
‘Unanimous decision’
In an interview with Fiji Broadcasting Corporation acting vice-chancellor, Professor Richard Coll, said the decision to de-register students who have not paid all fees in full was a unanimous decision by the USP Senate.
Coll said student’s debts are now very high and accumulating every year, and the University sees it critical that this is addressed.
FBC reported students have until Friday this week to pay outstanding fees.
Indonesian journalists in Jakarta wore masks on World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2016, in protest of the ongoing media violations. Image: News.CN
Experts from Southeast Asian nations have identified key challenges facing media in their region. They propose three fundamental areas of action for civil society, governments and the media.
The expert 19-member group included researchers, media professionals and human rights defenders forming the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Representatives from Timor Leste and Mongolia were also present.
‘Jakarta conclusions’
DW Akademie, an organisation that supports the development of international media, reported the experts agreed on a three-step action plan called the “Jakarta Conclusions” which is aimed to enhance the situation for media in Southeast Asia.
The plan will require the collective efforts of civil society, media organisations and governments.
Jakarta Conclusions Action Plan:
Take steps to develop a special regional mechanism to improve the media environment based on existing international and regional models.
Create a process to engage the large global Internet intermediaries to address issues of access, accountability, sustainability, and the impact these companies have on media and society.
Promote programs to expand media and information literacy at a sufficient scale to have impact at the societal level
1. Develop a regional mechanism for Southeast Asia
DW Akademie’s report stated that Southeast Asia does not have a special rapporteur for freedom of expression – whereas Latin America, Africa and Europe have active and independent representatives who advocate for information, expression and media rights.
Experts expressed that the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights has not pushed for this issue.
Therefore representatives from civil society organisations suggested establishing an informal mechanism in the absence of government support.
But others advocated to continue to push for an official mechanism, pointing out that Southeast Asia could learn from the Arab world which is currently seeking to establish a freedom of expression special rapporteur.
2. Engage the large global Internet intermediaries
DW Akademie reported companies such as Google and Facebook take a large share of online advertising revenue in Southeast Asia but do little to counter the spread of online hate speech, propaganda and disinformation.
Therefore experts suggested encouraging these platforms to develop a pricing system which differentiates between general information and quality journalism.
Maria Ressa, the former CNN lead investigative reporter in Asia said members need to work collectively.
“We need to come together and confront these and other companies with the situation in our region.”
3. Promote programs to expand media and information literacy
The growing importance of media users emphasised the importance of media and information literacy.
Hugo Maria Fernades of the Press Council of Timor Leste said such programs should enable the population to “actively and consciously” use media.
Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama is expected to visit New Zealand from October 19-23, 2016. Image: Pacific Scoop
New Zealand journalist Michael Field of Fairfax has said the announcement by the Fiji government to lift its ban on foreign journalists in the country is a “curious” move.
He told NewstalkZB that he has still not been properly advised.
“It’s all part of an interesting game that he [Bainimarama] is playing, because I have not been advised.”
“It’s a curious thing to do and it should be noted that the domestic media in Fiji is still governed by military decrees so I don’t know what it all means.”
TVNZ’s Barbara Dreaver has also been blacklisted from Fiji since 2008.
She has previously expressed in Asia Pacific Report that journalists should not be banned in any democratic country.
“The people of Fiji deserve to have their stories told no matter who they are or who they vote for.”
Usual manner
The Fiji government is said to have lifted the ban on foreign journalists reporting in the country as long as they have been accredited in the usual manner by the Department of Information.
The Fiji Times reported the announcement was made by prime minister Frank Bainimarama earlier this week who said the ban on foreign journalists was established because he believed they were not objective in their reporting.
“The government originally instituted these bans because it believed that some journalists had crossed the line from journalism to political advocacy and had inserted themselves into the domestic political debate.
“But the government reminds foreign journalists of their universal obligation to report events fairly and in a balanced manner.”
The film made its debut at the New Zealand International Film Festival in 2015. Video: JourneymanVOD
By TJ Aumua in Auckland
Co-producer Christina Milligan (left) with Peace Foundation board member Tom Ang and other co-producer Roger Grant (far right). Film director Kim Webby is currently in Vanuatu opening the documentary at another film festival. Image: Ngā Aho Whakaari
Filmmakers of the New Zealand documentary Price of Peace were honoured this week with the producers receiving an award for their contribution to “peace and aroha”.
Director Kim Webby with co-producers Christina Milligan and Roger Grant were recipients of the Te Pou Tatau Pounamu NZ Peace Foundation Award at the Ngā Aho Whakaari (Māori in Screen Production) 20th Anniversary.
Milligan told the Pacific Media Centre that they were honoured to be recognised by their peers and the film community.
She added the film has achieved more success than they had hoped for, reaching mainstream and indigenous audiences around the world.
Tūhoe activist
The film provides exclusive access to the word of Tūhoe activist Wairere Tame Iti and the trial of the Urewera Four’ in which Iti and three others were accused of plotting terrorist activities in 2007.
International screenings
International screenings of the film continue this week, with the documentary being featured in the Margaret Mead Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
The Pacific Islands Forum continues to push urgency towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, putting pressure on the negotiated well below 2 degrees goal of the Paris Agreement.
The chair of the PIF and President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Peter Christian, said limiting the temperature goal is critical to safeguard the wellbeing and existence of people in the Pacific.
“This is something the Forum is pushing very hard for because together the current, intended nationally determined contributions still fall considerably short of even reaching the ‘well below 2 degrees’ goal that was agreed to in Paris.”
‘Rapid response’
However, Christian praised the political will of the countries that prioritised their ratification of the Paris Agreement last week. This has enabled the Agreement to come into force from November 4, 2016.
“The Pacific called for a rapid response from the world to address the issues stemming from climate change, and we are very happy to see these first important steps being completed.
“While there is still a lot of work to be done, to see the global community rise to this challenge in this way gives us great hope.”
Next steps
President Christian said that from here the next steps were to ensure that the first meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement and the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) in Marrakech in November, produces increased commitment for climate change action and resilience.
Across the Ditch: Australian radio FiveAA.com.au’s Peter Godfrey and EveningReport.nz’s Selwyn Manning deliver their weekly bulletin Across the Ditch. This week Peter and Selwyn go deep on the euthanasia debate. New Zealand politicians are hearing verbal submissions on the pros and cons of euthanasia. But should we be cautious about letting politicians legislate on this very very very important issue?
FIRST UP
Weather comparison
Currency comparison
Headlines roundup
ITEM ONE:Euthanasia – The NZ Parliament has begun hearing submissions on euthanasia, largely from people wishing to give a verbal rationale on whether politicians ought to consider making euthanasia legal in New Zealand.
Political parties in New Zealand are warming to the idea of getting a bill before the house that would make it legal for people in New Zealand to receive assistance with ending their lives.
For background, here is a link to an editorial I wrote on euthanasia.
I have written editorials against euthanasia, basing my argument on investigative reporting I did in the 1990s when the then National led Government brought in (through stealth) exclusion criteria affecting those seeking life saving treatments like dialysis.
The back then, doctors treating people suffering end stage renal failure were presented with criteria that excluded their patients from accessing renal dialysis treatment if they were blind, had a history of mental illness, intellectual disability, displayed antisocial behaviour, had a criminal conviction, were over 65 years of age.
The government’s move to stop people getting this life saving treatment was largely fiscally motivated. The criteria was supposed to remain secret. I discovered the Minister had authorised it and had the government’s health finding authority present the criteria to doctors as an ethical framework through which they could ascertain what categories of people would be prevented from accessing dialysis.
The reportage caused a political furore. Urgent Parliamentary debates followed… In the end the then Minister of Health Jenny Shipley (later prime minister) was forced to ditch the exclusion criteria policy and disestablish the Core Health Services Committee that she set up to drive such policies.
At that time, the National Government was able to legally exclude people on this basis as it had passed a law that excluded government entities from having to work within the ‘constraints’ of the human rights act.
Leaked official documents I obtained back then revealed how the Health Minister was about to roll out exclusion criteria for coronary care, oncology care, basically all areas of health care where it was considered a heavy fiscal burden on the State.
On euthanasia… My argument is, that based on the experiences of reporting the exclusion criteria issue in the 1990s, my concern today is: euthanasia laws, while well meaning, could be used by future governments as a means of addressing fiscal pressures and a way to reduce the State’s continuing care cost-burdens.
If the politicians really want to debate the merits of euthanasia, I say, first, let them answer this: As the baby boomer generation ages, at what point does the fiscal burden on the State become politically unsustainable?
Here in New Zealand it does appear that point is getting closer.
ITEM TWOSport – While Australia’s Wallabies played themselves back toward respectability last weekend beating Argentina’s Pumas 31 – 21… Spare a thought for the poor ole Springboks. The All Blacks beat them in Durban 57 -15!
The win notched up a rugby world record with the All Blacks having now won 17 international tests without any losses.
Even the POMEs are saying this is the best international team ever to play the game, and Aussie rugby great Marc Ella says the Kiwis can’t be beaten when Australia turns out for a hiding at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday October 22.
To lay it on thick, Australia hasn’t beaten New Zealand at rugby at Eden Park since 1983. That’s 33 years! Can you guys do it? Well, let’s wait and see.
Don’t worry though, the Cricket season will soon be upon us :)]]>
A major solar energy project in Manu’a, American Samoa, will bring the island nation a step closer to having one hundred percent renewable energy.
American Samoa Power Authority’s renewable energy project manager, Mike Langier, discussed the Manu’a projects at the American Samoa Economic Development Authority Board.
He said at the moment gallons of diesel is shipped to American Samoa for power.
“On average we are shipping around 55 to 60 barrels of diesel over to those islands a week.
‘It is not the cleanest method’, he said.
“When we reduce our diesel consumption to almost zero, at least for the generators, it will be pretty amazing.”
The biggest project is based in Ta’u and would supply 1.4 megawatts of power.
The system consists of solar photovaltaic panels which converts sunlight directly into electricity. It will also include six-hours of battery storage, three back up generators and provide for 100 percent of Ta’u’s power supply.
On Ofu, a smaller size solar project is being built. It will provide 80 percent of power for Ofu and Olosega.
Secrecy has returned to Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations with doubt that the current agreement will survive the United States presidential elections. And this week, it has emerged that some of the TPP membership nations will meet in Geneva in early December to nut out what can be salvaged prior to the inauguration of the newly elected US president.
[caption id="attachment_6181" align="alignleft" width="150"] Professor Jane Kelsey.[/caption]
According to New Zealand-based University of Auckland law expert and opponent of the TPP deal, Professor Jane Kelsey “while attention focuses on the fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) many of its key elements have been flipped across to the equally secretive negotiations in Geneva for the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)”.
“Some parts of TiSA go even further,” according to professor Kelsey.
Trade Ministers from the 23 negotiating parties, including the US, EU, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, plan to meet in Geneva on 5-6 December when they hope to wind up a deal that has remained largely under the radar.
‘I was in Geneva last month and met with a number of government delegations. They confirmed that TiSA is intended as a “21st century” deal for transnational corporations. The new focus is on e-services, which will benefit the digital behemoths like Google, Amazon and Uber’, Professor Kelsey said.
‘Their goal, as with TPPA, is to put handcuffs on future governments’ right to regulate. Perhaps the most frightening would pre-empt governments from regulating so-called “new services”, including as yet unknown new technologies.’
‘Equally worrying, given this country’s litany of failed deregulation, privatisation and free market experiments in services, is the idea that treatment of foreign firms should never be less liberal than now (‘standstill’) and any future liberalisation should be locked in automatically (“ratchet).’
As with the TPPA information on TiSA relies largely on a steady stream of leaks posted on Wikileaks and more recently by Greenpeace on energy services.
‘Trade Minister Todd McClay made much of his plan to be much more open about future negotiations, but he has retreated further down the rabbit hole’, according to Professor Kelsey.
The EU, Norway, Switzerland and some others have published what they are offering the other countries, as was done in earlier WTO negotiations on services – including by New Zealand.
McClay has refused to do the same, citing the need to protect future negotiations. Professor Kelsey described that as ‘spurious nonsense designed to prevent in-depth scrutiny of what New Zealand is up to before we are presented with another done deal.’
‘TiSA could have more direct impacts on New Zealand’s future policy space than the TPPA. We know, for example, New Zealand has been pushing hard to get other countries to lock open their doors to private education providers. I assume they are promising to do the same. The non-discrimination rule may see proposed legislation to guarantee public subsidies to private providers, including foreign education firms, locked in without the possibility of change.’
Professor Kelsey will give a media briefing on TiSA and latest developments on the TPPA in the US and other countries on Wednesday October 12, at 10.30, Level 14, Bowen House, 70/84 Lambton Quay.
An online petition to drop the defamation case against two East Timorese journalist’s is calling for urgent international support, stating that the prosecution of the journalists is an attack on press freedom and right to information.
Former Timor Post journalists, Oki Raimundos and Lourenco Martina Vicente are being charged with “slanderous denunciation” by the Timor Leste government and face up to three years’ imprisonment.
“We are urgently calling on Timor Leste’s Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, and his government to drop all charges against Oki Raimundos and Lourenco Vicente immediately.”
Factual error
The case against the journalists is based on a published report from 10 November 2015, which contained a factual error on a government tendering process.
The outlet apologised, published a correction and right of reply from the prime minister’s office in relation to the story. Despite this, the government has persisted with the prosecution.
Timor Leste’s media law was previously criticised for being “repressive” and “draconian” when it was passed in 2014.
West Papua will be granted full membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in December, 2016.
The Vanuatu Daily Post reported that the announcement was made by the chairman of the MSG and prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, while he met with the chairman of Vanuatu Free West Papua Association, Pastor Allan Nafuki and prominent West Papua prominent leaders Jacob Rumbiak, Benny Wenda and Andy Ayamiseba in Port Vila last week.
‘overdue smile’
The Daily Post stated: “The Chairman of VFWPA said he smiled a long overdue smile and breathed a sigh of relief saying, ‘Now I can go to my home island of Erromango and have a peaceful sleep with my grandchildren, with no disturbance whatsoever.’”
At the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, this year in September, Pacific Islands leaders from the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu supported West Papua’s right to self determination. They also called on the UN to investigate the country’s ongoing human rights abuses.
It was the first time several Pacific Island leaders spoke collectively about West Papua on a global platform.
During the time of the Assembly a new report which detailed the human rights violations in West Papua and explained why full MSG membership is an essential step for peace was published online. The research aimed to convince Pacific leaders on providing full membership of the MSG to the ULMWP.
‘incredible solidarity’
Over the weekend the ULMWP released a statement thanking the island nations for their support.
“On behalf of the people of West Papua, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) would like to express its deepest and sincerest thanks and encouragement to you all for your incredible solidarity and support for our people, at the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.”
“It brings tears to our eyes and joy to our hearts to witness such strong Pacific Island solidarity for our people who have suffered the most sever human rights violations for over 50 years.”
Fijian language week celebrations over the weekend addressed the revival of the language for future generations in New Zealand. But the past was not forgotten. The community acknowledged their ancestors and the precious gifts they have left for the community today. TJ Aumua reports.
It was a weekend filled with Fijian culture and tradition as the community gathered at the Auckland Museum this week to open celebrations for Fijian language week.
On Saturday morning Fijian leaders from all around the country came together for the first time to address issues that are affecting the community living in New Zealand.
With the community’s population growing fast in Auckland, the leaders were concerned that approximately seven percent of New Zealand-born Fijians cannot speak the language.
The President of the Fiji Community Association of Auckland (FCAA), Naca Yalimaiwai, said it is important for Fijian youth to grow-up surrounded by their language so they can identify with their culture and who they are.
“It’s important to maintain that reputation of who we are when we come away from Fiji,” he said.
In the afternoon, the community turned out in big numbers for the launch of the Fijian collection at the museum.
‘Fijian treasures’
The collection of ancient Fijian artefacts was officially named: ‘Nai Yau Vakaviti: Na Ka Marequiti’ which translates into: ‘Our Fijian Treasures: That are treasured’.
The community said a special blessing for the items, acknowledging the culture, tradition and skill of their ancestors.
The exhibition is a part of the Pacific Collection Access Project at the Auckland Museum. It has, for the very time, allowed communities to view an extensive look into the Pacific collections they store.
The collection will continuing viewing until July 2017.
Across the Ditch: Australian radio FiveAA.com.au’s Peter Godfrey and EveningReport.nz’s Selwyn Manning deliver their weekly bulletin Across the Ditch. This week Peter and Selwyn discuss how former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark’s bid has ended for the UN secretary general position. Also, a BIG storm looms for NZ, and also All Black Aaron Smith has been sent back to New Zealand after a scandal emerged.
FIRST UP:Weather comparisonCurrency comparisonHeadlines roundupITEM ONE:
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark’s bid for the United Nations secretary general job has concluded after the UN security council’s permanent five members exercised their votes over night. It is believed the USA, Russia, and France gave Clark the red card.
Helen Clark has congratulated winner Portugal’s former prime minister and former head of the UN’s refugee body, Antonio Guterres.
Guterres came through the security council members vote with a green-light, meaning he was well ahead of all other contenders.
ITEM TWO:Weather – New Zealand Civil Defence has issued a weather warning for Thursday and Friday, forecasting gales, lighting, flooding, and possible tornadoes threatening the North Island and upper South Island.
The storm is approaching only days after the country had a good drenching from the storm that hit South Australia so hard last week, knocking out your power.
By the time it crossed the ditch, the sting in the storm had eased, but the ground in NZ is still saturated, and with another significant storm looming, the expectation is that flooding and slips will occur.
ITEM THREE:Sport – With Aussie’s Wallabies off to Argentina to play the Pumas this weekend, the All Blacks head to Durban to take on the Springboks on their home soil. And, key All Black halfback Aaron Smith is heading home from South Africa after information emerged that he and his girlfriend entered a disabled persons public toilet at Christchurch Airport. The All Black senior management spoke to Smith and instructed that he be sent home before the All Blacks V Springbok game scheduled for this Sunday.]]>
Scientists in Samoa have issued a dire warning about the fate of the national bird, which features on the country’s bank notes and coins.
Acccording to ABC News the manumea has been on the brink of extinction for several years.
Conservationist Gianluca Serra is leading a team employed by the Samoan government to stop the bird from disappearing.
He told Mandie Sami of ABC News the situation was desperate.
“There are probably only a few dozens birds left in Samoa,” he said.
Serra said the manumea is a species of pigeon and is special because it is only found in Samoa and is the last surviving relative of the extinct dodo bird.
He said hunting was a major issue.
“We realize that they are being hunted by mistake because apparently people don’t like the manumea’s meat but they kill the manumea while they are targeting another pigeon they like.”
Serra added forest logging and invasive species like rats and cats also put the survival of the bird in danger.
‘Pretty depressing’
“You know our job as conservationists is pretty depressing,” he said. “Every year the planet is losing hundreds if not thousands of species.
“There is not enough awareness and interest by governments and people.
“Public opinion is so interested about cats and dogs but they don’t know that there is wildlife out there and they need help, so it’s really hard. There’s no money there, only few people are interested in it.”
Serra and his team are working with local villages to establish protected areas and controls around hunting.
Prime Minister John Key said he has extended an invitation to Fiji prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama on a state visit to New Zealand.
Key told NZ-based Radio Tarana that Bainimarama is welcomed and hopes he accepts the offer.
“Well as I understand he is coming down here – so obviously he’ll be welcomed. We were there earlier in the year . There are always certain things to discuss between Fiji and New Zealand – so if he wants to accept the offer that we have put forward then he will be most welcomed.”
If Bainimarama accepts up the invite, it will be his first state visit to New Zealand.
Editorial by Selwyn Manning – Be Aware and Beware of What You Demand – A Case Against State-Backed Euthanasia
Proposition: Do Governments legislate in our interest?
Selwyn Manning, editor of EveningReport.nz.
In my editorial titled: Be Aware and Beware of What You Demand – A Case Against State-Backed Euthanasia, I reflect back to the mid-1990s to an investigation I wrote that exposed how the government was to enforce exclusion criteria designed to prevent people from accessing life-saving but expensive treatments. If you were blind, intellectually disabled, had a history of mental illness, anti-social behaviour, a criminal conviction – you would be excluded from having renal dialysis. The experience of reporting this confirmed my resolve against state-backed-euthanasia. Here’s why…
Back in the mid 1990s Jenny Shipley (then Minister of Health in the Bolger National Government) established a governmental body called the Core Health Services Committee (CHSC) which was chaired by former broadcaster Sharon Crosbie.
The CHSC was known to exist, but no one paid much attention to it, and also getting information out of it was problematic as it would cite commercial confidentiality as a reason for withholding information. So a lot of its work went under the radar.
Back then, National had created a commercial model that replaced health boards with Regional Funding Authorities (RHAs) and hospitals became Crown Health Enterprises. It wasn’t until 2000, that the new Helen Clark-led Labour-Alliance Government disestablished the RHAs and CHEs and reestablished publicly elected health boards, and, hospitals became public hospitals once again.
In 1994-95 Jenny Shipley was Minister of Health. She later became the first woman prime minister of New Zealand (unelected). Helen Clark became the first woman elected by popular vote to become prime minister of New Zealand.
But back in the early to mid-1990s the Core Health Services Committee was accountable directly to the Minister of Health, Jenny Shipley, and was tasked with creating health funding frameworks, protocols, criteria that the then RHAs would rely upon when deciding what health services the government would pay Crown Health Enterprises (CHEs) for – when providing health ‘services’ to ‘clients’ (patients).
The Core Health Services Committee was tasked to evaluate a way of reducing the cost-burden on the Government for health services and come up with a set of criteria that CHEs and doctors would have to abide by when deciding which ‘clients’ (patients) would get treatment and, importantly, who would not.
A Decision was made to Exclude Patients from Life-Saving Treatment
In August 1994, I became aware that the Core Health Services Committee had been evaluating the most costly procedures, including renal dialysis treatment for people with end-stage renal failure. I was told by sources that the CHSC had drafted a document that included a framework for how expensive treatments would be handled, and that the Minister of Health had approved the plan.
Generally, there are two types of criteria:
inclusion – (meaning patients that met certain criteria would be eligible for treatment)
exclusion – (meaning those that could be labeled as possessing or exhibiting specific criteria would exclude then from being offered treatment.
In August 1994, I was leaked documents that displayed how the Minister had approved the CHSC protocols that used exclusion criteria and that the protocols had been presented to doctors and the exclusion criteria enforced.
The Exclusion Criteria
What this meant was people who presented with end stage renal failure, and who required dialysis to stay alive, would be excluded from getting this life-saving treatment if they were deemed:
to be blind
to have an intellectual disability
had a history of mental illness
exhibited or expressed anti-social behaviour
had a history of imprisonment
had an unrelated health condition that may cause complications
were over the age of 65-years…
The set of exclusion criteria continued on.
Without a public debate having ensured, CHE doctors were required to administer the changes and CHEs were required to report back to the RHAs with details on how the exclusion criteria was being applied.
Up until then, doctors and clinicians had decided on whether a patient would get dialysis treatment – the assessment was based on what health benefits a patient could expect, and were not required to consider exclusion criteria that were determined by the State.
The doctors silently rebelled and, as a journalist, as I mentioned above, I was leaked the CHSC protocols and exclusion criteria documents.
I sought a legal view from the Human Rights Commission, whose legal team suggested the criteria would be illegal under the act should it be brought into force by any other body excluding a government entity.
At that time, the Government had passed a human rights act but had excluded government entities (at that time) from having to act within that law.
Once We Published a Furore was Ignited
The day the investigation was published, a political furore ensued. The article was tabled in Parliament (in those days a news article could be tabled before The House) and Labour’s then health spokesperson, Lianne Dalziel, raised it during Parliament’s question time (Question number 7 if I remember right). And, once question time concluded, the issue was the focus of an urgent debate.
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, David Lange.
“Look at this thing in south Auckland. There was an extraordinary defence by the Minister—the determining factor is one’s condition. I have to tell members that those key ethical principles are not determined by one’s condition, and they are not determined by one’s state; they are determined by one’s status.”
David Lange continued: insisting that the criterial that the Minister of Health had approved and defended was akin to the State standing on the dialysis pipe to prevent the flow of this life-saving treatment from reaching the patient.
He continued: “If one is intellectually handicapped, the drip goes off. If one is intellectually handicapped, one does not get what is called end-stage renal treatment, and that means one dies. They (the Government) are very good at euphemisms—“modernisation”. The word “euthanasia” does not come into it; it is “determination of end-stage renal treatment”.”
And Lange summarised: “Let us come back to the crude reality of it. Value judgments are being made about people’s lives, and those value judgments will be affected by whether they are people of influence, standing, or status. If they are psychiatrically disturbed or if they are intellectually disabled, the tap is turned off; they stand on the air pipe, and they talk about it in terms of core ethical commitments. I absolutely repudiate that.”
The Government Responded
The Minister Jenny Shipley replied: “The core health services committee has made some valuable recommendations about the areas on which attention should be focused. The core services committee has actually begun to assist this country to grapple with some of the most difficult ethical issues that are before us.”
She continued: “I am fascinated that some members of the Opposition are dismissive of our actually having the courage to address ethical questions in the field of medicine. It is true that every country in the world is in a similar position to us. There are issues that we know have to be spoken about, and what happens?
“In Parliament today Opposition members could not resist the temptation of picking up a piece of information, which they know is a gerrymandered interpretation of the core services committee discussion document, and politicising it. People in need of renal failure treatment actually do need to be able to be assessed and treated on a clinical basis. The core services committee raises some extremely important questions that allow clinical judgments to be made,” Jenny Shipley said.
Then, Exclusion Criteria Was Then Abandoned
Through the next month I followed up with articles revealing how the Core Health Services Committee and the Minister had agreed upon exclusion criteria for other life-saving treatments including coronary care and oncology care health services. The impact, should it have been fully rolled out, would have been considerable.
Within a month or two, the Core Health Services Committee criteria had been withdrawn from use, and the CHSC itself was later disestablished – doctors were again able to decide who should and should not get treatment based on a patient’s benefit and outcome.
From then on, when I would contact the Minister of Health’s office for comment on issues, I would be referred to as Goebbels (which I ignored apart from noting the irony).
The Government’s Retaliation
South Auckland man, James Mckeown.
Shortly after around March 1995, the Minister of Health Shipley stood staunch arguing that a south Auckland man who became the human face of her policy called James McKeown ought not receive dialysis treatment.
Shipley went on TVNZ’s Holmes Show arguing why the man ought to be left to die from his condition.
She identified clinical reasons for her argument. South Auckland Health’s then CEO, Dr Lester Levy, returned from holiday to stand between the minister and his hospital’s patient – Levy ordered that James receive dialysis.
In Parliament (ref. http://www.vdig.net/hansard/content.jsp?id=45370) , Lianne Dalziel asked: “Has the Minister received any advice on whether the statements made on television were a breach of patient confidentiality, and does she intend to resign should they be a breach of the Privacy Act?”
The Minister Jenny Shipley replied: “As I have said, this matter is before the Privacy Commissioner now. The issue of whether Mr McKeown, by disclosing a significant amount of his personal circumstance but not the complete story, forwent his right to privilege in the first place is an important matter that the Privacy Commissioner will rule on during the consideration of the three complaints that are before him.”
It was a clear case of the State’s Minister insisting and commanding her view over an ill and humble man from Otara.
The Privacy Commissioner did indeed issue a ruling. Shipley was found to have breached James McKeown’ privacy and was forced to make an apology. She did so.
A year later I revisited James and asked how his extended life had been: “It’s great he said, I enjoy my days, I have a flutter on the races, I’m happy.” A year and a half after Shipley had argued that his treatment ought to stop, James slipped away feeling that his doctors at least valued his life.
Prologue: The whole experience confirmed my resolve that we as a country’s peoples should never allow the State (irrespective of what party is in power) to interfere, nor legislate, against a born human being’s moral right to life and ethical right to access life-saving treatments.
Professor Jane Kelsey.[/caption]
